


Billy Hargrove/Reader: Multiple works

by LadyBoltonToYou



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Multi, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-24 10:36:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19721941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBoltonToYou/pseuds/LadyBoltonToYou
Summary: A series of Billy Hargrove/Reader stories. Requests are open.





	1. Drunk Confessions (fluff)

Billy was never the kind of guy to admit how he felt. You’d been seeing each other for a while, never making it official but it was clear you were exclusive. And the simple fact that Billy was only seeing you meant it was pretty serious.

But he never did tell you how he felt. You were fine with it, the lovey-dovey stuff could make you uncomfortable easily. He only went as far as kissing in public, sometimes wrapping an arm around you but that was as much as you’d get from him.

He did love showing you off, though, he took you everywhere. He liked when people stared at you, the prettiest girl in Hawkins, but if they stared too long he’d walk up to them and say something.

By god though, you loved him. You got to see a side to him no one else saw, he could be affectionate, even though it was only physical. You lived for his kisses, his hands on your body and the way he cuddled with you after sex. 

One night at a party, he got really, really drunk. You’d never seen him that drunk before. Billy could handle his alcohol, you’d seen him drink twelve beers before and not make a fool of himself. But at that party, he had been drinking vodka and soda all night long.

“God baby, you look so fucking hot tonight.” He whispered in your ear on the couch, his face nuzzling your neck. “I ever tell you how beautiful you are?”

You smiled and pulled him closer to you, kissing his forehead. “How beautiful am I?”

A couple of people were glancing over at you, shocked to see Billy in such a tame state instead of lashing out at people and starting fights just because he could.

“My god. The most beautiful woman on this planet. Everything about you.” His hand came to rest on your bare knee, slowly running up your thigh until he reached your shorts. “No one could even compare.”

You felt like you were going to cry. He’d never said anything like that before. “Are you serious? This isn’t just drunk talk to get me naked again, is it?”  
Billy raised his head from your neck and looked at you seriously. “You know, I think when I’m drunk is the only time I can’t lie. It’s like alcohol makes me speak the things I’m always thinking, yanno?”

You hummed and leaned into his chest, savoring the affection you were receiving from him. You knew it would be a while before he got like that again. 

“Let’s go back to my house, okay?” His voice rumbled against your back. 

“No, let’s go to mine. My parents aren’t home.” You settled your hand on his thigh, squeezing above his knee through his jeans. 

He nodded with his eyes closed. “Okay. Come on.” He pushed himself off the couch and took your hand. 

You drove him to your place, letting him know he had to spend the night because of how drunk he was. As soon as he got into your room he collapsed on your bed and sighed with content.

“Come here.” He held out his arms and you smiled widely, jumping on the bed beside him. You curled up in his arms and he hummed.

“I love it when you’re like this.” You whispered, laying in his warm arms. “Maybe we should get you wasted more often.”

"(Y/N), I am only saying this because I'm drunk. But you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. And I like you so much. I would marry you if I could. I'll never admit this sober, I know I won't. I'll deny, deny, deny, until my last day on this fucking earth. But I want you to know I fucking love you, baby. You're more than just sex for me, god, I fucking love you."

Wow. You were frozen and speechless. What could you even say to that? All you knew was that you were crying. 

“It was too much?” He slurred and you shook your head. 

“No. I love you too. I love everything about you and what you just said.” You twisted in his arms so you could look at his face. “I would marry you too.”

Billy smiled and his eyes closed again. Quicker than you expected, he passed out. 

“Please don’t break my heart.” You whispered and traced your fingers down his face. “I don’t know what I’d do.”

Billy breathed gently in his sleep, his chest rising and falling, taking you with it.


	2. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You help Billy with the problem at home.  
> Mentions of abuse, mental and psychical.

“He came over with a black eye, of course, I’m going to ask what’s wrong.” Venting to Steve probably wasn't the smartest thing to do at the moment, but you weren’t in the position to judge things like that. You were a bit drunk and very sad. Billy had come over to your house with a busted lip and a swelling eye, you guessed he got in a fight with someone. But when you asked what happened it started a whole argument. “I don't know why he got mad, anyone in their right mind would be concerned!”

Steve nodded and took the beer out of your hand. As soon as you had arrived at his house you went straight to the alcohol he had stashed in his mini fridge. “Maybe he’s embarrassed he got his ass kicked.”

You tried to grab the beer back from him but he pulled his arm away. “No, this is your fourth. That’s enough.”

“Fine.” You sighed and sat back on his couch, burying your face in your hands. “What do I do? He seemed so mad, and I just left, what if he’s going through something? What if you’re right and he did get his ass kicked?” Anger, sadness, and a bit of confusion mixed inside you, causing your heart to ache. You missed Billy already and wished you hadn’t left him the way you did. 

Before Steve could even open his mouth you stopped him. “I have to pee. And think. Do you care if I sleep here tonight? I don’t think I can drive back.”

“Oh, sure. No problem.” He said and picked up your empty beer bottles, walking over to the kitchen to throw them away. “You can sleep in my room, my parents are gone for the weekend so I’ll sleep in their bed.”

“Thanks.” You smiled as you all but stumbled to his bathroom. 

Steve was going to lock the front door when he heard it. The sound of a rumbling engine. He furrowed his brows and peeled back the curtains, groaning when he saw who it was. He knew that Camaro anywhere. It was your boyfriend. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He whispered, watching the lights on the front of the car cut off as the driver door opened. The only thing Steve could see in the dark was the dim red glow of a cigarette. 

“Shit.” He was probably going to have to fight this son of a bitch. 

Billy was at the door in no time, his fist banging on the wood. “I know you’re in there, Steve. And I know who’s with you. Let me see her and we’ll have no problem.”

He tried to ignore it, but eventually, you would come out of the bathroom and he didn’t want you to have to deal with Billy at all. So he went outside and made sure to shut the door behind him. “What do you want, Billy.” He sounded more annoyed than he meant, walking away from the door to try and guide Billy back to his car.

“Don’t play stupid. I’m tired and I swear to god I’ll kick your fucking ass. Let me talk to her.” He said and took a long drag of his cigarette.

“Looks like someone already kicked yours.” Steve joked, but regret it as soon as Billy walked over to him at an alarming speed. 

“Where the fuck is she? Last time I’m asking.”

“She’s not here.”

“Then who is that?” 

Steve turned around to see you opening the front door. “Oh, shit.” He sighed, watching you close it behind you and walk over to them. “Listen,” He turned to see Billy raising his fist. Thankfully you stopped him, practically clinging to his arm with your whole body to stop him from landing the blow. You’d seen what Billy could do to a person and you didn’t want Steve to die.

“Come on babe, let’s just go.” You tried to persuade him to leave, it was the only way to avoid a fight. “Steve, go inside.”

“I’m not-” Steve started but you gave him a pleading look and he nodded. “Alright.”

“This isn’t over, Harrington.” Billy seethed but you pulled him away before he could say anymore. 

The car ride was anything but silent. 

“Why did you leave?” He said as soon as he started the car, he sounded pissed. 

“You were yelling at me, Billy. You seemed really mad, so… I left.” When you said it out loud you realized you had done the wrong thing. 

“And then went to Steve's house?” His voice was tainted with anger and what sounded like betrayal. You knew Billy was the jealous type, but this seemed unhealthy. 

“Yes, I went to Steve's. I wanted to talk to a friend.” 

He nodded, looking down the dark road ahead of you. You could tell he was upset, but for some reason, he didn’t seem as interested as he usually got when he was mad. It was a different type of mad… like he was scared and confused. “Do you need to go home?” He asked in an awkward tone that almost sounded a bit timid. 

“Eventually. But until we get this sorted out, I’m not getting out of this car.” You knew for a fact that something was very wrong and it was serious. “Be honest with me, baby.” Your voice softened. 

“Sometimes me and my dad don't always see eye to eye. We got into an argument about something and shit got rough. But it’s fine, alright? He doesn’t mean it like that.” 

He was defending his abuser. It all made sense then. His father was abusive. It explained so much, the mysterious bruises, the way he acted so dominantly towards others. How had you not noticed it before? Your heart ached.

“Oh, Billy.” Your voice broke and that was it for him. He hadn’t told anyone that before. 

You could see his eyes watering and he ground his teeth. “Don’t, don’t do that shit.” He tried to sound strong although you knew he felt anything but. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine.” You reached out to touch his shoulder. He started to lean away but when he got that human contact, he finally gave in.

The car screeched to a stop in the middle of the road. The engine rumbled softly with the headlights illuminating the dark road.

“How long has he been doing it?” You asked softly and brushed his hair behind his ear. 

He shook his head and forced a light laugh. “A long, long time.”

You felt your heart shatter even more. The strong, invincible, confident man you fell in love with was a victim of such an awful thing. The person who was to protect him, who he was supposed to look up to, hurt him. 

It made you angry and devastated. You wanted to kill his father and save him from that monster.

“Move in with me.” You stroked his cheek, wiping away his tears with your thumb. “Max can come, too. We’ve got a big house and my parents love you.”

“No. I don’t want your folks to know.” He shook his head and looked to you. “I didn’t want you to know. Me and Max, we were the only ones.”

“I won’t tell them. They don’t need to know. Please. After a while, we can save up to get you a place of your own. Remember that cute little house down the street from mine?”

He nodded and leaned into your hand, savoring the affection and comfort. 

“It’s for sale. And the price is amazing. If we save up the money I’m sure my dad could buy it in his name. You know how my parents are.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded again, tears trickling down his cheeks. 

“So, will you come home with me? We can pick up Max.” 

Please say yes. You needed to help him get away from his abuser. And Max too. 

“We’ll get Max in the morning. He doesn’t hit her.” He finally spoke and you felt a sob escape your lips. Maybe everything could be okay, maybe you could help him save himself.

“Okay. Okay. Let’s go home.”


	3. Secrets Not Worth Keeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Billy finds three guys trying to pull you into the woods after a party, well, let’s just say it’s a miracle they didn’t die. Afterwards, we get a little fluff and aftercare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little sloppy, but I wanted to write for Billy and didn’t have any ideas so I did a generic save the day type thing. I hope you like it either way!

Warnings: Violence, mentions of sexual assault but it doesn’t happen. Slight smut.

Dating a guy who wanted to keep things low-key was difficult.

  
When you were hit on at parties or hit on in general, you couldn’t scare them off by telling them you were dating the most badass dude in Hawkins. When your friends tried to set you up with people you couldn’t give them a good enough excuse for them to stop.

  
The worst part was not being able to kiss him when you wanted. You couldn’t hold his hand in public, kiss his cheek or show any kind of affection.   
Sometimes you thought the distance was good for you. When you finally were alone, you tore each other's clothes off and couldn’t be separated for hours.

  
At times like this though, when Billy was nowhere to be seen and you needed saving, it wasn’t worth it. A group of three drunk guys were harassing you as the party you were at died down. They grew bored and decided to toy with you.

  
“You ever have a boyfriend before?” The guy who had done the most talking out of the three asked. He sat too close to you on the couch and had tried putting his hand on your knee a few times.

  
“Yep.” You didn’t want to escalate the situation with a fight, so you sat tight and hoped Billy would come back and somehow save you.

  
“What happened?” His friend on the other side of you asked, resting his arm on the back of the couch. To avoid his arm you sat forward and rested your elbows on your knees.

  
“Why do you want to know?” You swirled your red solo cup in your hand and watched the beer fizz up from the motion.

  
“Pretty girl like you been single for so long, it’s one of a few things.” The third guy, one you recognized from your lunch period, started rambling. His name was… Ryan? Arnold? Something like that. “She’s a lesbian, she’s getting over a bad breakup, or she’s got daddy issues.”

  
How much of an asshole could one guy be? You glanced at him and sighed, standing up. “Listen, I’m gonna go home.”

  
Their faces lit up and they jumped to their feet, one knocking his knee into the coffee table in front of the couch. “We can walk you home.”

  
“Hey, I drove, we can give you a ride.”

  
“Yeah, Arnold drove us here.”

  
That had to be the worst idea you'd heard all night, “You all have had way too much to drink. I’m going home, and I’m going alone.” You put up your hand to stop them and walked past the three boys, looking around desperately for Billy. Things could go really south if he didn’t show up, and you didn’t know if you could defend yourself from three people at once, drunk or not.

  
That seemed to be enough for the time being and they stayed back, mumbling to themselves about something.

  
You searched the house for Billy, but he was nowhere inside. Did he leave you here? He wouldn’t have. He had parked his car a little down the street since the yard was so full, maybe since people were leaving he went to pull it up.

  
After you gave up your search of the house you went outside and started calling his name.

  
Right as you gave up hope, the three guys walked out of the house. They were laughing and shoving each other, so you started quickly walking down the road hoping they wouldn’t notice you.

  
It worked, or so you thought. When you looked back, they were gone. One less thing to worry about.

  
Where the fuck was Billy? His car wasn’t in the place he parked it. You stood in the empty spot and listened for the sound of his engine. Nothing.  
You sighed and began walking back to the house. Not wanting to walk home alone, you’d just stay inside until he came back. You knew he would, Billy would never leave you alone like that. That was a fact. He _would_ come back.

  
Just when you saw the house lights again someone jumped out of the woods, scaring the hell out of you. It was that stupid boy, the ring leader of his friends.

  
“Gotcha!” He laughed at your reaction, putting one hand on his knee to steady himself as he overreacted.

  
“Ricky, hold up!” You heard one of them call from the woods before running out into the street. “There she is!”

  
Why were they all panting? Had they been running through the woods? Why? You watched them carefully as the two walked out of the woods to stand in front of you.

  
“What are you doing out here? You could get kidnapped or something.” Ricky stood back up and took a small step towards you. He was sick, he was sick because you knew he planned on doing something very similar.

  
“Trying to find my boyfriend.” It was one of your last harmless defenses. You had a switchblade in your back pocket, something Billy had gifted to you on your third date, but you didn’t want it to come to that. You knew you'd have no problem stabbing them but at the same time, you didn't want to go to court over something like that. The law was fucked up sometimes. Even if you were defending yourself you might be found guilty and have your life ruined.

  
“Maybe we can help you find him, there’s a bonfire going on in the woods.” The last boy, the one you didn’t know the name of, said.

  
You knew it was a lie. There were so many red flags and your heart was speeding up to the point it was almost painful.

  
“Who’s your boyfriend? He might be down there, what’s he look like?” Arnold asked and crossed his arms.

  
“Black hair, big beard.” You made up the face of someone you’d never seen before to see if they’d lie about that too. “Wearing blue jeans and a black leather jacket.”

  
They put on a show, pretending to think before Ricky snapped his fingers and nodded. “Yep, he’s down there. Got his arm around this girl, though. You might want to get down there quick.”

  
The fact that they continued lying terrified you. You knew exactly what they had planned, and the scary part was that if you were drunk, you’d probably believe them.

  
“Leave me alone.” You decided it was time to get away from them. You looked down the street and saw the house was almost empty now, it looked like most everyone left. You still didn’t see Billy’s Camaro. ‘Please, someone, look at me, help me.’ You wanted to scream. But doing something like that would be too dangerous, they could easily muzzle you and drag you into the woods if you started screaming.

  
They continued trying to talk you into coming with them, but after a while, it was apparent you weren’t going to come with them.

  
“Just grab her and hurry this shit up.”

  
“What happened to being stealthy, Justin?”

  
You took a few steps back and they stopped bickering to get you back under their control.

  
“Come on, play nice.” Ricky grabbed your arm at the wrist and pulled you to the edge of the road.

  
Suddenly everything went blurry. You started screaming, trying to get your blade from your back pocket. When you flipped it open, the boys acted warier. Were they even drunk in the first place? Or were they acting drunk to make you think they were harmless?

  
You only managed to get a small wound in Ricky’s arm before Arnold knocked the knife out of your hand. That’s when you really panicked.  
“Help me!” You screamed at the top of your lungs, hoping with all the will you had inside you that someone would hear and call the cops.

  
Two of them picked you up by your arms, right in the elbows. Ricky grabbed your feet and then you were in the air, being carried into the dark woods. You tried not to lose hope, but fuck, it was hard.

  
“Please!”

  
Over the sound of your loud screams, you had all failed to notice the rumble of a car engine. The headlights were off, and when they flicked back on you were illuminated.

  
You couldn’t see who it was, but you had a feeling. The three boys froze, ironically enough they looked like deer in headlights. The driver door opened and out stepped Billy, his face devoid of all emotion.

  
The boys dropped you and you ran to Billy.

  
“Get in the car.” His voice was bone-chilling, it was so even and calm.

  
You gladly complied and ran into his car, almost tripping on the way.

  
Everything happened so fucking fast. Billy grabbed Ricky by his throat and slammed him on his back in the pavement, stunning him enough to render him motionless.

  
Next was Arnold, but when the two boys started to run at once he grabbed them both by the back of their shirts. You watched with wide, watering eyes, lips parted as you dared not to breathe.

  
The two men were on the ground within seconds. The punches flew and they were both knocked out. After they were both sedated he didn’t even hesitate, moving onto Ricky immediately. He gave him more than his fist, deciding to choke him out against the hood of his car.

  
The adrenaline was amazing for you. You didn’t know it, but you were smiling. You were smiling as you watched Billy choke the consciousness out of Ricky.

  
All three boys were lying still on the road. That’s when you got out.

  
Billy was panting, looking over his work. Blood coated his knuckles, and a few splatters had landed on his neck and cheek from throwing punches. It turned his dirty blonde hair red in some spots, making it stick to his skin. He was sweating, so he took off his leather jacket and tossed it to you.   
“Help me with them. I have an idea.” He breathed and used the back of his hand to wipe his cheek.

  
His idea was to strip them completely naked and paint ‘rapist’ on all of their chests. He had originally wanted to cut it into their skin but you argued against it, knowing if they went to the cops you’d get into serious trouble for permanently scarring them. Even though they would have done worse to you if Billy hadn’t arrived, you were only looking out for you and your boyfriend's best interest.

  
You laid them out in front of the school and gagged them, tying their hands behind their backs around the bike posts. Their ankles were tied too, preventing them from getting anywhere. Billy gave them a few good whacks on the head, enough to keep them out for a long time. When Monday morning came, everyone would know.

  
“Where had you gone?” You asked as Billy drove you home. 

Billy furrowed his brows slightly and glanced over to you, shifting gears. “When?”

  
“They wouldn’t leave me alone inside.” Leaving the house had been a stupid idea. Why would you go away from the one place Billy would know to find you? “I couldn’t tell them we were dating, so they wouldn’t stop talking to me. It was annoying at first… but when they found me on the road… God…”

  
Billy ground his teeth, taking in a deep breath. “I was stupid to leave you alone. I went to the store to pick up a suitcase,” He pointed his thumb to the backseat, which held a twelve case of Modelo. “And was only planning to be gone a second. I’m sorry. This whole thing is fucking stupid.”

  
“What’s stupid?” You blurted, scared for a moment he meant your relationship.

  
“This.” He moved his hand between the two of you before it came back to rest on the gear stick. “At first I liked running around and hiding. Felt like we were doing something wrong and risky, but it’s more than that now. More than something we can hide just for the sake of a hard-on.”

  
So far, you liked where he was going with it. You watched him as he talked, the orange street lights flashing on his face for a split second every time you passed one. Moments like that, when he didn’t try to look attractive, you thought he looked beautiful.

  
“You know I don’t like talking about shit like this. But, I wanna be open now. I don’t wanna keep us a secret anymore.”

  
You were fine with that. He was right though, at first you thrived off being a secret couple, pretending to be just friends but fucking each other silly whenever you got the chance. But when the feelings you had for him grew more intense, you started to want more from him. You wanted to hold hands with him in public, you wanted to kiss him whenever you liked, you wanted to tell your friends about it and brag about how good he was in bed. As quick as it happened, you’d grown extremely fond of him.

  
“I don’t either.” You responded with a smile, looking away from his face to watch the trees go by. You were almost home.

  
Billy subconsciously smiled and nodded his head. “Good. Next time someone bothers you like that, tell them I’ll kill them if they don’t leave you alone. But I’ll try not to let anyone bother you again.”

  
It was a pretty intense milestone in your relationship with Billy, going from a private to a public couple. It meant he wasn’t ashamed of you and liked you enough to let everyone know he was with you and only you.

  
“Seeing you beat up those guys was pretty hot.” You admitted as he turned down your street. “I’ve never seen you angry like that before.”

  
He smirked and glanced over at you. “Yeah, is that right?” He turned the steering wheel and you were in your driveway, the engine softly purring, the car in park.

  
You bit your lip as you smiled. “That’s right. Come inside and make tonight up to me. Bring the beer, too.”

  
Billy chuckled softly and turned his car off, leaning over to kiss you. “Okay.” His breath smelt like the spearmint gum he always chewed, and it was warm against your lips.

  
Once the two of you snuck inside, you balanced between drinking beer and fooling around. A few orgasms and beers later, you were both too tired to continue.

  
“Even though we’re not keeping us a secret anymore.” Billy struggled to sit up, grabbing his last beer from the bedside table. “I still think you’re the hottest person I’ve ever met.”

  
You turned on your side and slipped your hand under the covers, feeling how wet he made you. “I feel the exact same way.” You responded as you felt his cum mixed with your own, it had made you incredibly slick. “Steve is going to lose his mind when I tell him.”

  
Billy set the empty beer bottle on the table and turned the lamp off before sliding under the sheets with you. It was completely dark then, your eyes straining to see anything.“I would kill to see the look on his face when he hears.”

  
Steve was one of your favorite friends. You’d met him through your best friend named Nancy. After an incident that happened before you became friends with Steve, the two men didn’t particularly like each other. Neither of them talked about it, but you guessed it was because of a fight. Judging by the fact that Steve hated Billy, you assumed Billy won the fight.

  
“Oh, by the way. I got my first job.” Billy broke your thoughts and you went to look at him, but it was too dark for him to see the look of surprise on your face.

  
“Really? Where?”

  
“I’m a lifeguard at the Hawkins Pool. I got the letter that I was hired today.”

  
“Good. Now you can start buying me gifts.”

  
He snorted, but you knew he was thinking about it. Even though at first he wanted your relationship to be a secret, over time he had warmed up to the thought of being a serious couple and had even looked at gifts to buy you.

  
Billy already had a few gifts picked out he wanted to get, a necklace that matched his own, and he wanted to take you out to eat somewhere nice. The dinner was originally planned to be his way of showing you he was serious about your relationship, but now it meant more. You deserved the best dinner of your life for putting up with his shit for more than a month.

  
“Let’s go to sleep, alright? We can watch the news tomorrow before school, see those fucking losers try to explain how they ended up that way.” Billy pulled the sheet over his chest, letting it rest under his armpits.

  
You hummed and nodded, feeling your way to his chest in the dark room. Once you found him you slid into his arms and kissed the bottom of his neck, satisfied enough to sleep.

  
“If I’m not awake when you get up, wake me up, alright?” You mumbled with closed eyes, your face pressed softly against his chest.

  
“Alright,” Billy spoke softly and kissed the top of your head. “Sweet dreams.”

  
You nodded out quickly, the rhythm of his breathing pulling you into a deep sleep. You hadn’t been that happy and relaxed in a long time, and you hoped the feeling would last forever.


	4. A Simple Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy hangs out with the gang at Mike's house, enjoying it more than he thought he would.

The nights spent with your friends were your favorite nights. You’d all go over to Nancy’s house and stay in the basement, watching movies or playing games. For you, it beat getting drunk at house parties. And you  _ loved _ getting drunk at house parties.

All of you were so close after everything you’d been through together. How could you not be? 

Tonight you did what you usually did. You bought your money's worth of snacks, sodas, and a little present for your teenage friends.

“Did you get it?” Steve asked in a hushed voice as the kids rummaged through the plastic bags, picking out their snacks. You had bought plenty for everyone and even rented a movie, one Max and Lucas had been wanting to see for a long time.

“Yes, I got it. You can have some when they settle down.” You nudged him back and went to the table the kids were gathered around. 

“No way! You got it!” Lucas gasped as he found the movie hidden beneath the bags of chips and candy. 

Max gasped and rushed over to the T.V, shouting at him to put it in.

When the movie was in and everyone was glued to the screen, only then did you pour Steve a cup of beer. You sat between him and Jonathan on the couch, handing him the red solo-cup.

He sighed happily and took a sip, shaking his head. “I haven’t had a drink in so long.”

Nancy noticed and glanced over Jonathan, laughing lightly. “Were you going to offer me any?”

Dustin turned around and hushed her harshly before turning back to the T.V. 

You bit your lip to keep from laughing and went back to the other side of the basement, pouring Nancy a cup as well. While you were at it, you got one for yourself. The movie they were watching wasn’t really one you were interested in, so until it was over you’d have to keep yourself entertained.

After a while, you went upstairs to use the bathroom. Nancy came with, after drinking two beers she claimed she really needed to go. 

“I had to take a break from trying to ignore my brother and El making out.” She said as she fixed her hair in the bathroom mirror. “It was cute at first… but after a while…” She looked at you and you laughed.

“Believe me, I know.” 

You finished in the bathroom and went to return to the group, only to stop when you reached the stairs.

You grabbed Nancy’s arm and shushed her. “Do you hear that?”

A car engine shut off outside. It couldn’t be Mike’s parents, they were gone for the weekend. 

Nancy furrowed her brows and slipped into the kitchen, looking out the window. She inhaled sharply and looked back to you with a worried look on her face. “It’s Billy.”

Billy? As in Billy Hargrove? You hadn’t met him yet, but you had heard a lot about him. He was Max’s older brother, and he had a reputation for being an asshole.

“What is he doing here?” You whispered, unsure why you were trying to be quiet since there was no way he could hear you. 

She shook her head and watched as he walked up to the door. “Maybe he’s looking for Max, I don’t know. Should we pretend we’re not here?”

You knew better than that. He knew she was here, you remember Max telling you about how it took her days to convince her dad to let her stay over.

“I’ll go talk to him.” You decided and made your way to the door. “See what he wants.”

Nancy went to object but you had already opened the door. Billy had raised his fist to knock but you opened it just in time for his hand to stop inches away from your face.

“Hey, what’s up?” You closed the door behind you and smiled sweetly.

“I need to speak to Max.” He lowered his fist and looked you over, running his tongue over his teeth.

“Okay. Can you wait out here?” You hoped he would cooperate, you didn’t want him to make a scene and upset the girl.

He nodded and pulled a cigarette out of his shirt pocket, taking a few steps back.

Once inside you pulled Max aside, letting her know what was happening. She almost looked pissed when she stormed upstairs and slung the front door open. 

“What?” She asked quickly before slamming the door behind her.

You stood by the door and listened, not because you were nosy, but because you wanted to make sure Max was okay. 

“Listen, dad just wanted to make sure you’re not getting into trouble.” That was Billy.

“I’m not.” There was a pause. “Did he do that to you?”

Muffled talking ensued and then the door opened. 

“Is everything okay?” You asked Max when she walked in.

She sighed and shook her head, looking out the door at Billy before responding to you. “Can he stay here for a while? Our dad’s drunk.”

Was that even a question? “Of course he can.” You knew how their father was. Technically speaking, he was Billy’s dad, but it didn’t really matter. He was awful. Max told you the stories about Billy’s busted lips, the black eyes, and bruises. If there was a way to prevent it, even for a little while, you’d help do so.

You went down to the basement and let everyone knew what was happening before he came down. Most of them argued against it, of course, especially Steve and Mike. 

“Will you shut up and listen?” You quieted their bickering as you heard the door upstairs close. “Just for a while. He’ll be alright.”

El nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

Footsteps started down the stairs and they all turned to look. Max, followed by Nancy and Billy, all walked down. Billy looked visibly uncomfortable, but he tried his best not to show it.

“What are you guys up to tonight?” 

“Watching a movie.” Lucas sounded cheerful when he responded to Billy’s question, smiling like he wanted to please the older boy. 

Everything that night went smoothly that night, surprisingly. No fights, no arguments, nothing. Billy seemed to enjoy himself. He had a few beers and didn’t act like the asshole he normally was. It was safe to say when he wasn’t aggressive or intimidating, you found that you sort of liked him.

“Alright, how do we play this?” Billy asked, picking up one of the board game pieces. You were all sitting in a circle on the floor getting ready to play a new game. 

Mike explained how to play the game, which you had played a thousand times before with them. At this point, Jonathan and Nancy had gone upstairs to her room, and El had fallen asleep on the couch across the room. You had no idea what time it was but you had never stayed up that late with the kids before.

Halfway through the game and Billy was doing better than everyone, even Dustin, who had never lost a round before.

“That’s how you do it, Henderson.” Billy grinned and sat back, watching as Dustin processed what just happened.

“You cheated.” He fought for an explanation, he’d never lost before. And now he lost to someone who’d never played the game in his life? 

Billy laughed and stuck a new piece of gum between his lips. “Don’t be a sore loser now.”

Everyone was in disbelief, but it was pretty clear there was no cheating involved, he won fair and square.

“I’m just tired. I need to sleep.” Dustin sighed and got up from the floor. 

“Will, get the sleeping bags.” Mike had almost fallen asleep during the game, and he was more than ready to pass out.

Will had beat him to it. He was leaned up against your side, eyes closed with a little bit of drool forming at the side of his mouth.

“Aww.” You laughed softly. “I didn’t know he had already knocked out.” You brushed his hair out of his face and nudged him gently. “Time for bed, kid.”

Billy watched and took a sip of his beer, secretly enjoying the calm simplicity of everything. He found himself wishing his family was like that. No fighting, yelling, no pain. Besides the friendly competition banter, it was peaceful and innocent.

You helped Will get into his sleeping bag, unaware that Billy had walked out of the room.

“(Y/N).” Max said sleepily, turning over in her bag. “Can you go check on him?”

You looked over your shoulder to see he had left. “Sure. Go to sleep, alright? Don’t wanna be in a bad mood tomorrow when you gotta go home.” 

She nodded and turned back over. 

Steve followed you upstairs, saying something about sleeping in the living room because he was too drunk to leave. 

“Okay. Sleep good.” You pulled out a blanket from the armchair and handed it to him. 

“Hey, don’t let Billy sweep you off your feet, alright?” He grunted as he got comfortable, pulling his socks off. 

“Go to bed, Steve.” It was hard not to laugh at Steve when he got drunk. 

“You know how the pretty boys are.” 

“Oh, you want him all to yourself, that it?” You teased and poked his cheek. 

“Shut up.” He groaned and pulled the blanket over his face. “I just worry about you.”

He was sweet, but you could handle yourself. You didn’t even think of Billy that way, you’d barely thought of him at all. 

Billy was in the kitchen, looking in the fridge when you found him. He pulled out the orange juice and drank it from the jug, sighing after he took a few gulps. 

“You gonna leave now?” You asked.

He looked surprised by your presence. “I don’t know. Yeah.” He twisted the lid back on and licked his lips. “Thanks for tonight though.” He needed it. Even if he didn’t want to admit it to himself or anyone else, it was one of the best nights of his life.

“Of course, Billy. Any time. The kids seemed to like you,”

“Did you like me?” Was he teasing you? He was grinning and chewing on his gum the way that anyone swoon at. 

“Hey, we’ll be doing the same thing tomorrow night. You want an answer to that, you’ll get it then.” You played into his game and smiled back. 

He definitely would be back. He wanted to kick Dustin’s ass again at that stupid game. 

Billy nodded and closed the fridge. “I’ll see you then.” He winked picked up his car keys from the table.

You stood there, even after he left, wondering how the hell you’d never noticed how beautiful he was before. Those eyes, his curly hair, his-

“Told you.” Steve clapped his hand on your shoulder from behind you, scaring the living shit out of you. You turned around and slapped his arm, making him laugh, holding his hands up to shield him. “Not the face, not the face!”


End file.
